A million journeys have been made by young people on the Tyne and Wear Metro using the new Pop blue smartcard according to figures recently released by Nexus. Pop blue was introduced to make Metro travel more affordable for those in the 16 to 18 age group with single trips available for just £1.
Since the project was launched in January 2018 over 11,000 young people aged between 16 and 18 have taken out of Pop blue cards with one third of Tyne and Wear’s 16-18 year olds now travelling using these smartcards.
Huw Lewis, Nexus Customer Services Director, We’re giving young people great value on the cost of their travel with Pop blue, with single trips for just a £1 and £2 to travel all day. Since we launched this product we have seen a million more journeys by young people. Pop blue has become increasingly popular and we now have one third of all local 16 to 18 year-olds buying their travel in this way. It’s a really simple Pay As You Go smart card. We’ve delivered great value, reflecting the way teenagers told us they want to pay for public transport. Pop blue fits round school and college timetables and free time activities. We offer the best possible value through Pop blue. More young people choosing public transport now is good news for the future of Metro and for our environment as we tackle air quality.”
The Pop blue card is available to anyone under 18 and means that only a £1 single fare will be payable. Only a maximum of two trips a day will be charged meaning a £2 daily cap is applied. The card is free but must be topped up with £10 with further topping up available easily either online or at any Nexus Travelshop. It can also be used on the cross Tyne Shields Ferry service and for local bus travel, although on the buses standard fares set by the bus company will apply.